The Playgoer: Quote of the Day

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Monday, March 03, 2008

Quote of the Day

"I get tired of the jokes about who's going to play the instruments in 'Peter Grimes'...I've done over 20 productions in my life, and they've not all involved people carrying tubas across the stage."


-John Doyle, currently showing his range simultaneously at the Met (Grimes) and on Broadway (Catered Affair).

Indeed, I too am sick of people talking as if John Doyle somehow invented (and only 3 years ago!) the radical concept of ensemble staging, where the onstage performers actually create the whole show in front of you.

When actors move set pieces on and off as part of the action do we say, "Aha! I bet he's doing that to avoid paying the stagehands union!" (Not that that's possible, of course...)

But what do you expect from people who have never seen theatre at less than $75 a ticket and less than 1000 seats.

1 comment:

Dave said...

I guess nobody saw that Roundabout revival of "Cabaret," either.

I like Doyle's staging. It doesn't work for everything, but he doesn't claim that it does.